Needle threader



Sept. 14, 1937.

Filed March 8, 1955 Inn ant DI" TlF. MFINN Flt-t. army- Patented Sept.14, 1937 I ED A E PATEN T I OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in needle threaders, andan objectof my invention is todevise a needle threading device which will threada needle with any size of thread up to the coarsest 5 size that theneedle eye will pass.

Another object of my invention is to provide a needle threader in whichthe alignment of the thread and the needle eye for threading of thelatter is effected substantially automatically when 10 the thread andthe needle are engaged in the device by the user, so that the threadingof the needle may be accomplished very rapidly and with a minimum ofeffort.

Yet another object is to devise a needle threader whereby, once thethreading operation is completed, the needle may be disengaged therefromby merely withdrawing it from the device, without the necessity ofunhooking the thread from a threading element.

With these and other objects in view which will hereinafter appear asthe specification proceeds, my invention consists of the constructionand arrangement all as hereinafter more particularly described andillustrated with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my needle threader, the thread and needle beingpositioned in the device ready for threading of the latter;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 2 showing the formassumed by the device after the thread has been passed through theneedle-eye but before the threading element has been withdrawn, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference refer to corresponding parts in thedifferent views.

Referring to the drawing, my needle threader comprises a U-shapedelement l of spring material in one leg of which is a transverse needlehead receiving groove 2 of V section. The groove 2 has a smaller groove3 along its inner apex for receiving a thread 4 and an orifice 5 isdisposed centrally of such groove which is adapted to pass freely athreading element 6 secured to and projecting from the other leg of theelement I, the width of the groove 3 being substantially equal to thediameter of the threading element 6 for a reason which will hereinafterbecome apparent.

A needle 1 may be held in the groove 2 by means of a spring finger 8,which, as shown, may be a portion of the element l suitably bent out ofthe upper surface thereof, and which also coactsrwithltheflattenedsurface!) of the needle to align the eye l0 thereof with the orifice andthe threading element 6. When the needle is inserted into the threader,a stop ll serves to position the eye In in register with the orifice 5.

I may provide a cylindrical projection l2 on one surface of the elementI which may be inserted into the bore of an orthodox thread spool (notshown) for conveniently supporting the threader thereon.

The operation of my device is as follows: with the spring element l inthe normal relaxed position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the thread isengaged in the groove 3, the finger 8 and the stop ll directing thethread into such groove when the thread is placed across the free end ofthe upper surface of the spring member I and pulled towards the groove.The head of the needle is then pushed into the groove 2 under the finger8, until the end of the needle abuts the stop ll. Regardless of how theaxis of the eye of the needle is oriented when the latter first engagesthe threader, as the head of the needle is pushed under the finger 8 thefinger coacts with one of the orthodox flat surfaces 9 of the needle tocause it to rotate until, when the eye of the needle abuts the stop II,the eye IU of the needle is both in alignment and register with theorifice 5 and the threading element 6.

compress together the free ends of the element I, whereby the threadingelement 6 enters the orifice 5 and pushes a loop of the thread throughthe needle eye as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. On allowing the springelement to relax, the threading element is withdrawn from the needleleaving the loop of thread in the eye, and as the needle is withdrawnfrom the threader the finger 8 engages the thread loop to pull more ofit through the eye so that it may be readily grasped by the user tocomplete the threading operation. It will be noted that, by virtue ofthe groove 3 being of substantially the same width as the diameter ofthe threading element 6, it is im- 4 possible for the thread to escapethe threading element once it is inserted into such groove, andactuation of the threader without threading of the needle issubstantially impossible once the needle and thread have been properlypositioned for threading.

While one embodiment of my device has been described above, it will beobvious that there are numerous other ways of applying the principle ofpushing, rather than pulling, the thread To thread the b needle, it isthen only necessary for the user to 2 t through the needle eye. As anexample, it would be convenient to apply the device permanently to athread spool, in which case a single spring needle engaging elementcould be secured to the spool end, and a pin suitably positioned in thespool end could replace the element 5 as shown.

An advantage of my improved needle threader,

is that the thread, after being laid parallel to the long axis of theneedle, is pushed through the needle eye, and accordingly a needle maybe threaded with thread of the largest size the eye will accommodate. Inthe orthodox threaders, a

hooked threading element is first pushed through the needle eye, andthen a loop of the thread, laid transversely of the long axis of theneedle,

' is pulled through the eye by the hook. With this type of device, theshorter diameter of'the eye has to be great enough to pass thehook'element' and two thicknesses of thread, thus greatly limiting the sizeof the thread with which the threader may be used. j A further advantage;of mydevice is that both the width of the needle receiving groove inthe bottom thereof, and a threading pin reciprocable in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the thread and needle receiving groovesand extending freely through an orifice in the thread receiving'groove,the width of the thread receiving groove being substantially equal tothe diameter of the threading pin.

' JOHN FLETCHER MANN.

Lit/-

